GOING THE DISTANCE

WE ALL WANT MORE ENERGY, BUT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GIVE TO GET. HERE ARE FOUR STRATEGIES TO BUILD YOUR STAMINA

If you find you’re tearing yourself out of bed most mornings while still feeling the effects of yesterday’s activities or unable to make it through a typical day without maintaining your physical and emotional energy, then you probably lack general stamina.

We all want more stamina.

It’s the holy grail of being able to keep up with the rigours of daily life.

Doing the things we enjoy with energy and enthusiasm is what brings contentment to our lives, so just how do we go about achieving this?

There is no clear-cut way to build physical stamina as everyone has different rates of response, but research has clearly shown that the traditional ways of gradual adaptation are not your only option.

Traditionally, we are taught that upping the ante through clocking physical miles might add steam to the engine, but this can sometimes have a negative effect on energy levels.

The good news is there are other strategies you can turn to that will help increase daily endurance and energy levels. 1. WORK ON YOUR MUSCLE ENDURANCE

Long rides, laps in the pool or spin classes will work your aerobic capacity, but if your muscles don’t have endurance then this is when things go pear-shaped. High repetition strength-based movements build muscle endurance by forcing the muscles to build new capillaries and increase their oxygen uptake. Simple bodyweight exercises are perfect for this.

2. INCREASE YOUR TRAINING FREQUENCY

If you are just starting out, it may take a while to improve your endurance portfolio. Don’t be fooled by the idea that you should approach each workout feeling super fresh. Slowly increase the number of sessions per week you complete and your muscles will adapt the rate at which they recover.

3. TRICK IT UP

Making the mistake of only working one muscle group at a time can be ineffective. By adding in cross-training such as swimming, pilates or hill sprints you are recruiting cross vectorial muscle groups while increasing cardio fitness. Cross training is also great for resting overused muscles and reducing chances of injury.

4. GET THE TEMPO HAPPENING

Slow and steady will only get you so far. Speed endurance improves the rate at which our muscles deal with the amount of lactic acid that builds up in the bloodstream. Interval training takes advantage of this and is done through efforts followed by recovery periods (HIIT or Tabata workouts).

Incorporating some of these principals into your workouts may use some of that much-needed energy to begin with, but over time you will feel your energy levels strengthen and you will become attracted to the things you love to do.

“DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE IDEA THAT YOU SHOULD APPROACH EACH WORKOUT FEELING SUPER FRESH.”